The announcement that US President Joe Biden will compete for re-election in 2024 opens the door for a potential rematch with Donald Trump.
The Democrat announced his candidacy in a video on Tuesday, as was to be anticipated, for a second four-year term.
He stated that rights and liberties were at jeopardy at this crucial time. “This is not the time to be complacent,” he declared. That is the reason I’m running.
He will once more be running alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, 58.
As the oldest president in US history at the age of 80, Mr. Biden will undoubtedly be questioned about his age during the campaign. After serving a second full term, in 2029, he would be 86 years old.
He asserted earlier this year that “it’s legitimate for people to raise issues about my age.” Watch me is all I can say at this point.
In the 2020 presidential election, Mr. Biden defeated Mr. Trump by vowing to “restore the soul of the United States”.
“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America – and we still are,” Mr. Biden said in the three-minute announcement video, which features the president meeting a wide spectrum of Americans.
Trump has already announced his run for the presidency, increasing the likelihood that the two will square off on November 5, 2024. Both are seen to have a good chance of winning their nominations.
The main issue with Mr. Biden’s announcement of his reelection bid has been how long it has been clear that he will run. After spending the weekend with aides at Camp David, the Maryland presidential retreat, he decided to launch his campaign on the fourth anniversary of his 2020 declaration.
Senior White House adviser Julie Chavez Rodriguez will oversee his campaign.
A smooth campaign is all but certain since Mr. Biden hasn’t faced any strong competition for the Democratic nominee yet.
However, recent surveys indicate that his choice to run is unpopular both nationally and inside the party. Over the weekend, an NBC News survey indicated that just over half of Democrats and 70% of Americans agreed that he shouldn’t seek for office again.
The majority of those who opposed Mr. Biden’s candidacy cited his advanced age as a drawback. 48 percent of respondents rated it as a “major concern”.
His unfavorable popularity ratings continue to be high, but Mr. Biden’s chances of winning re-election were raised late in the previous year when his party fared better than anticipated in the midterm elections.
On the campaign road, he will also highlight a number of legislative accomplishments, like as the mobilization of Western backing for Ukraine following Russia’s incursion and a $1.2 trillion infrastructure program.
Currently, there are two other declared Democratic candidates: anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr. and best-selling self-help author Marianne Williamson.
Since he didn’t have any intimidating opponents inside his own party, Mr. Biden was free to decide when to make his announcement without much outside pressure.
His aides claim that he sees a benefit in contrasting his job as president with that of his probable Republican rivals, who may be involved in party politics or, in Mr. Trump’s case, criminal investigations.
In response to his declaration, the Republican Party called Mr. Biden “out-of-touch” for believing he should be re-elected after “creating crisis after crisis” over the previous four years.
Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the party’s national committee, stated that her party was committed to defeating him in 2024 and that US voters were “counting down the days until they can send Biden packing.”
